Starwood Capital’s 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge Opens

BROOKLYN, N.Y.—1 Hotels, the mission-driven luxury lifestyle hotel brand, has opened the doors of its third property and first ground-up development, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. Remaining true to 1 Hotels founder, Barry Sternlicht’s, core philosophy, “The world around us is beautiful, and we want to keep it that way.” According to Starwood Capital, the property cultivates the best of eco-conscious design, sustainable architecture, cause-oriented partnerships, and unrivaled service.

Situated at Pier 1, just south of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, in Brooklyn Bridge Park with sweeping waterfront views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge was developed by a joint venture partnership between Starwood Capital Group and Toll Brothers City Living, and it was designed by New York-based architecture studio, Incorporated.

The property features 194 guestrooms, including 29 two- to six-bedroom suites and The Riverhouse, its Presidential Suite, with most rooms offering panoramic views of the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge and the New York City skyline. The project also includes the adjoining new condominium, Pierhouse, which consists of 106 townhome-style residences spread across two waterfront buildings and is sustainably designed by Marvel Architects.

Lobby Features Green Wall

The lobby of 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge opens to a dramatic 25-foot green wall, featuring steel grating covered in hand-placed plants and creeping vines that will evolve over time, created by landscape architecture firm, Harrison Green. A two-story industrial spiral staircase is punctuated by a sculpture of obsidian rock boulders wrapped in hand-dyed rope by Rachel Weiss. The dwellings are complemented by a 4,000 square-foot rooftop, nine-treatment room Bamford Haybarn Spa (opening in June 2017), a state-of-the-art fitness center, a yoga and barre studio operated by POE Yoga, two restaurants, a 10th floor lounge, a 50-seat screening room, and lobby cocktail service.

“Confronted with how far Americans were lagging behind in changing our consumption habits, I created 1 Hotels to show sophisticated travelers that they can do good, live well, and connect with both the world and the community around them,” said Barry Sternlicht, 1 Hotels Founder and the Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group. “Today, with the opening of 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, my vision is now realized. We were able to select every material and develop mindfully, yet the space’s main purpose remains to serve, entertain and inspire with some of the best amenities found in the New York hospitality market.”

Narrated by Nature

The 10-story hotel occupies Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, an 85-acre beautification project that stretches 1.3 miles along the East River waterfront. The hotel project originally began in late 2011, however when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast in 2012, 1 Hotel’s architectural drawings for the Brooklyn Bridge property had just been completed. Due to the damage and destruction, the team was informed the waterfront zoning had changed, requiring 1 Hotels to raise the building by three feet along with other code changes such as relocating mechanical equipment to the roof. Meanwhile, they could not raise the overall height of the building, which triggered a massive redesign effort.

Rather than whitewashing the delay and changes caused by Sandy, the 1 Hotels team opted to honor the force of nature by tapping Olivié Ponce, an artist and creator in Bushwick, Brooklyn, to paint a watermark in remembrance of Hurricane Sandy along the walls of the corner suites.

Committed to sustainability and preserving the environment, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge was built under LEED guidelines and underscores the following efforts:

The design of the hotel features a 54 percent ratio of regional and reclaimed materials, including original heart pine beams from the former Domino Sugar Factory, walnut from the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and pine flooring from the Old Crow Distillery in Kentucky.

The hotel will eventually boast a LEED Dynamic Plaque which will measure and display the building’s eco-conscious practices in real time.

1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge operates a rainwater reclamation system that will reduce storm water runoff into neighboring water streams by more than 50 percent prior to the site development. The water collected will irrigate the park during summer months. (Roughly 5,000 cubic feet of water is projected to come from the hotel.)

1 Hotels has committed to donating a percentage of sales from in-room dining and goodthings (the hotel’s mini bar) to Action Against Hunger, a global humanitarian organization that takes decisive action against the causes and effects of hunger.

The hotel features a nature-driven art collection, including a textured rubber sculpture, “All OVEREACHOTHER,” created by Jarrod Beck from massive rubber pieces of roofing that were stripped from a big box retailer’s roof during a tornado that touched down unexpectedly in Utica (Upstate New York) in the summer of 2014.

Rooms & Suites with a Lady Liberty View

The interiors of the 194 guestrooms and suites were designed to honor the historical significance of one of world’s busiest waterways—the East River. The most stunning feature is a sleek floor-to-ceiling sliding window that transforms the guestroom into an open-air den with skyline views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Furnishings include a porous stone-looking table of composite wood, leather chairs and pendant leather lampshades. Many of the design details in the rooms are by local artisans, from the “crate” inspired, open-slatted wood closets, corrugated leather headboards, to the Fresnel glass light fixtures.

A green moment—living plants and trees by leading landscape team, Harrison Green;

LCD 55-inch smart television;

Riverview hammocks (Skyline Suites and Riverhouse only);

Complimentary Wi-Fi;

In-room yoga mats;

Cozy socks to take home;

Goodthings & (not so) goodthings which consists of curated refreshments and local experiences; and

Family-friendly amenities available through the Seedlings program.

In addition, the hotel amenities include a fresh farm stand in the lobby, botanically driven cocktail program by Arley Marks, complimentary rides in Tesla premium electric vehicles, and valet parking for bicycles. Guests also have 24-hour access to the Field House fitness center. 1 Hotels properties are pet friendly with special amenities and no fees for visiting pets.

Brooklyn Bites + Concoctions:

Neighbors—Located on the ground level, 1 Hotels presents Neighbors, a picnic-fare caféoffering seasonal, fresh items from local Brooklyn purveyors. The menu includes fresh fruit smoothies and super food salads. The café is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, and during the warmer seasons, the space opens to Brooklyn Bridge Park with outdoor seating.

1 Hotel Lobby—From 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.daily, guests and residents of Brooklyn can sip on cocktails and freshly brewed coffee while hosting an impromptu meeting or working from their laptop.

Signature Restaurant—1 Hotel’s main restaurant will be opening later this spring. Details to be disclosed soon.

Rooftop Pool & Bar

Debuting in May 2017, the rooftop will welcome hotel guests and locals to a 4,000-square-foot urban retreat with unrivaled views of the East River, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the Manhattan skyline. Brooklyn’s newest day life hotspot will feature a 3-foot lounge pool, full-service bar, fire pits and seating spaces made from reclaimed railroad ties where up to 350 guests can relax and sip craft cocktails. The rooftop will be available for private events and small weddings.

10th Floor Lounge

One floor below the rooftop, a dark, ashy wood 2,800-square-foot lounge space, surrounded in floor-to-ceiling windows, is expected to become New York’s most coveted hideaway. The den will feature a functioning fireplace and black silica furniture created by Brooklyn artist Fernando Mastrangelo. The space can seat 60 for private events, and it will open in May.

Event & Meeting Spaces

1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge counts more than 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting, social and event space with high-tech audio/visual equipment, featuring sliding floor-to-ceiling windows and tree-line or skyline views. The Meadow Rue event space, located on the ground floor, opens onto The Park, designed with a full wall of collapsible doors and windows to accommodate up to 1,000 guests. All spaces are named after native plants, grasses, trees and shrubbery found in The Park.